Cod Almighty | Article
by Various
24 March 2009
For a quarter of a century now Town fans have had the voice of John Tondeur to ease us through the pain and, very occasionally, share the pleasure. It's all of 25 years that Radio Humberside's finest has been squeezing in his commentary and summarising duties around his teaching career. Here, Cod Almighty readers mark the occasion by paying tribute to the 'Voice of the Mariners'.
GTFC knew my teacher
John Tondeur was my teacher at junior school and regularly wore his Radio Humberside tie. One time he asked the class to write to someone famous to see what kind of response we would receive. Obviously, I picked an icon of the time and someone I felt I connected with. Roland Rat. It was 1986! I was only nine! I received several signed photographs back, including Kevin the gerbil's and Errol the hamster's. However, one of the boys in the class decided to write to Mike Lyons - he received a letter back and an invitation for the class to have a tour of Blundell Park (not sure what influence Mr Tondeur had on that).
Anyway, I remember quite vividly standing in the Osmond stand whilst Mr Tondeur told us all about the club, meeting Mike Lyons in his office and getting Tony Ford's autograph just as we were leaving (I didn't have a clue who he was but thought my dad might be impressed). I remember wondering how everyone at BP knew my teacher. It would be nice to say that this visit set me on my way to becoming a regular at BP and following GTFC through thick and thin over the last 23 years but, unfortunately, I went back to watching Roland Rat and going down the park to play on the climbo every Saturday. It was another 12 years before I actually saw that ground full and realised that there were better things to do on a Saturday than play on the climbo, plus I was 21 by then and perhaps a little too big for it.
John Tondeur is a legend on the radio and a damn fine teacher too.
Eve Barnard
Do a deal for the fans who care
First and foremost, congratulations. JT (not that pathetic 'brave' (oh please) gobshite who plays at Stamford Bridge) is and has been very good at his job, and it's just a shame that the vast majority of Town fans (that's those that don't live nearby and whinge in front of their PCs at five past three every Saturday) are unable to listen to his commentaries any more thanks to Mr 51% and Mr 'so obviously a Town fan but must say anything to piss off said Mr 51%' Burns. Whilst the gestures of reduced entry to games to encourage support are welcomed, personally I'd like to see some sort of reconciliation between the club and the BBC local station - even if it's not meant - so that fans who care can listen to the wonderful work John Tondeur does. Failing that, perhaps the radio stations could enter into a football-type transfer window until the end of the season, or JT joins Cuntass FM on a free!"
Jase Ives
More insightful than most
Probably like so many others, I was disappointed when I learnt that John's dulcet tones were no longer to be heard on Town's commentaries when Compass FM took over but, again, probably like so many others, enjoy the enthusiasm of Scott and comedy Dave when he can get the score right. I do, however, look forward to John's after-the-match sessions with Mike and feel that his questioning is probably more insightful than most.
Well done John & UTM.
Alan Dickens (exiled in Essex)
Telling it how it is
I once had the pleasure of seeing John Tondeur playing cricket in Brigsley at the Humberside Annual Rescue charity match. My grandpa, despite kicking my nan's cat square up the arse every time he saw it, used to run the Rescue from his little farm there. Must have been around 1987-88, and I was totally starstuck. John was the big name - all the other players were village oafs. Even my Dad somehow got a game, and he thinks cricket is for lesbian dole-ite gay single mother immigrants.
Anyway, it was a boiling hot day, and JT was smacking it around the ground. My Dad came over to me, his sweaty box in his hand after a mammoth score of two, and told me that my (then) evil stepmother used to go to school with John. The poor bastard couldn't escape her even in the middle of a field in Brigsley. If she's reading this, I'd like to tell her that I still can't stand her.
Memories of JT are many - but mostly they're of returning to my nan's house in Laceby in my mate's dad's car. In my formative years at BP, these meant listening to Tondeur lament another spineless Lyons/Roberts loss. But then, as things picked up, and Buckley rode into town, travelling home listening to his round-up of the game became a pleasure.
Never one for hyperbole, John seemed to tell it how it was, because that's what we wanted. And how many commentators can you say that about these days?
Sam Metcalf
Lucky to have him
We've been damn lucky having John commentate on our games; he's a proper fan who cares about the club, tells it how it is. About time we got it back together with Humberside. Let's have John back commentating on League 2 games next season...
Martin Robinson